Kerala
occupies a narrow strip of land, not more than 360 miles (555
km.) long and 80 miles (120 km.) wide, with a total area of 15,002
sq. miles 38,855 sq. km.). The land lies between 8° 18' North
Latitude and between 74° 52' and 77° 24' East Longitude.
On the west it is washed by the Arabian Sea, in the, east hedged
in by the western Ghat mountains, in the north bordered by the
state of Karnataka, and in the south joined by the state of Tamil
Nadu.

Mountain
Passes

The
Western Ghats that range along the highland are called Sahyadris
which rise in elevation between 3,000 feet and 8,000 feet above
sea-level. The Anamudi Peak in Idukki District rises to a height
of 8,841 feet and represents the ha'ghest point in India, south
of the Himalayas. The Agastyakutam, connected to Sage Agastya
of the Mahabharata tradition, is 6,132 feet above sea-level. Many
of the hills in the region have religious and political significance:
Sabarimala is the hallowed seat of the Lord Ayyappan of pilgrimages;
there is the famous St. Thomas Church located on top of Malayattoor
Hill; Ezhimala or Mount Eli. the conspicuous hill overlooking
the Arabian Sea or the Cannanore Coast,was the seat of a powerful
kingdom and a landmark for mariners in the early centuries of
Christianity; the Puralimala in Tellicherry Taluk was the center
of the Pazhassi revolt (1793-97; 1800-1805) against the British
in the nineteenth century. These tall hills covered by rain forests
which are infested by wild animals prevented large-scale invasions
of Kerala.The continuity of the Sahyadri hills is interrupted
by the presence of several gaps which have prevented the total
isolation of Kerala from the eastern countries. The major gap
is the Palghat Gap which is about 20 miles wide. William Logan
writes in his famous Malabar Manual:

Here
by whatever great natural agency the break occurred, the mountains
appear thrown back and heaped up, as if some overwhelming deluge
had burst through, sweeping them left and right. On either hand
tower the giant Nilgiris and Anamalas, overtopping the chain of
ghats by several thousand feet, while through the gap, the southwest
winds bring pleasant moist air and grateful showers to the thirsty
plains of Coimbatore, and roads and railways link the Carnatic
to Kerala. The unique character ... of this gap ... is only equalled
by its great economic value to the countries lying on either hand
of it (p.3).

In
addition to the Palghat Gap, there are others like the Perambadi
Ghat linking Kerala and Coorg, the Perlya and Thamarasseri Gaps
linking Wynad and Mysore, and Bodinayikannur, Kambam, Aryankavu,
and Aramboli Passes connecting Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Tamil powers
often invaded Kerala through the Aramboli Pass.

Sea
and Ports

On
the one hand, the Arabian Sea prevented some invaders, traders,
and intruders from visiting Kerala; on the other hand, it attracted
mostly traders from Europe and the Middle East. From historical
records we know of Arabs from the eighth century and the Portuguese
(1498). the Dutch. and the British from the sixteenth and the
seventeenth centuries establishing trade centers in Kerala. Such
ports as Cranganore,Quilon,Alleppey,Cannanore, and Cochin became
prominent in later Kerala history. Most of the ancient port cities,
except Cochin, are on the declinedue to the lack of docking
and berthing facilities as wellas the expansion of other
ports like Bombay and Goa, Remnants of European forts can be seen
at Anjengo.Thankasserri. Pallippuram, Tellicherry. and Cannanore.